Carton



Dec. 30, 1952 P c COLLURA I 2,623,684

CARTON Filed Sept. 22, 1950 Patented Dec. 30, 1952 2,623,684 I CARTON Peter C. Colliira, Waltham, Mass., assignor to Container Corporation of America, Chicago, 111., "a corporation of Delaware Application September 22, 1950, Serial No. 186,217

1 Claim. (01. 229-31) 1 The present invention relates to a one-piece folding carton having interlocking detents and detent-receiving openings for holding the cover and tray portions againstaccidental opening.

One of the objects of this invention is the provision of a carton of the type referred to which can be formed of a single blank of material suitably creased and cut so that the carton may be readily assembled and shipped in collapsed form to the user. Another object of the invention is the provision of a simple, inexpensive carton of the'type referred to that requires a minimum amount of paperboard for its manufacture and provides maximum security for its contents.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will'become apparent upon reading the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, showing a preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention, in which:

' Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a carton embodying the invention shown in open position;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view showing the carton in the collapsed form in which it may be shipped or stacked; and

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the carton just before the cover is moved to closed position over the tray portion.

,The carton constructed in accordance with the present invention is used for packing food or con fections, such as doughnuts or cookies, so that the contents may be seen but can not be handled without visible evidence of the fact that the carton has been opened. The carton is shipped in collapsed, substantially flat form and may be readily set up to receive its contents. When the cover is closed it is held in closed position by detents which are generally mutilated when the carton is opened.

Referring to the drawing, the carton comprises a cover portion 2, a tray portion 3, and a common rear wall 4. A fold line 5 defining the upper edge of the rear wall extends between the rear wall and the top wall 6 of the cover portion. Preferably the top wall of the cover is cut out to form a display opening 1 which is covered with a sheet 8 of cellophane or similar transparent material adhered to the edges of the top wall adjacent the opening I. The cover is provided with side walls 9 and I folded at right angles to top wall 6 along fold lines II and I2, respectively.

A front wall I3 is folded at rightangles to top wall 6 along a fold line 14. The front wall I3 is provided at opposite ends with 'flaps I and 16 defined by fold lines I] and I8 respectively. A

. 2 detent-receiving opening I! is formed at one corner of the cover by cutting a tab 20 along three sides. The fold linell does not extend across the base of tab 20, and the tab is so short that when the flap I5 is folded the tab remains in the planeof front wall l3, thereby forming the narrow, vertically extending detent-receiving opening l3. A similar tab 2| forms another similar detent-receiving opening 22 at the opposite corner of the cover. These detent-receiving openings are both intermediate the depth of front wall 13 and preferably are both in the same horizontal plane.

A fold line 23 extends diagonally across the corner of side wall 9 to provide an edge triangular portion 23a. A similar fold line 24 extends diagonally across the corresponding corner of side wall III to form another edge triangular portion 24a. These fold lines are provided to permit the front '-wall l3 to be folded over substantially flat agains the side walls 9 and I0 and the top wall 3 when the side walls are folded against the top wall. In. this position the edge triangular portions 23a and 24a are each disposed between the front wall l3 andits respective side wall 9 or ID. The flaps I5 and iii are adhered to side walls 9 and I II, respectively, but in order to permit the proper collapse of the cover member the adhesive in each case is applied only to the edge triangular portions 23a and 24a.

The tray portion of the carton comprises a bottom wall 25 hinged to the bottom edge of rear wall 4 along the fold line 26. Fold lines 21 and 28, extending along opposite sides of bottom wall 25 define side walls 29 and 30, respectively. An extension 3l integral with the rear end of side wall 23 and the adjacent end of rear wall 4 is defined by fold lines 32 and 33 extending at right angles to each other. A similarextension 34 at the rear end of side wall 30 is defined by fold lines 35 and 36. Extensions 3| and 34 are provided respectively with fold lines 31 and 33 extending diagonally from the intersection of the extension with its side wall, the rear wall'4 and bottom wall 25. The diagonal fold lines 31 and 38 are creased inwardly to permit the extensions 3| and 34 to fold inwardly and the lateral edges of the rear wall 4 to abut the rear ends of side walls 23 and 30 when the rear wall 4 is folded upwardly along hinge line 26.

Side wall 29 is provided at its front end with a flap 39 defined by a fold line 40. A detent 4| projects forwardly from the front edge of side wall 29 when the flap 39 is folded along fold line 40. The detent 4| is formed by cutting the side wall 29 adjacent the fold line 40 along two lines which intersect each other and the fold line 40. Side wall 30 is provided with a flap 42 and a detent 43 similar to the flap 39 and detent 4|. Each detent has a sloping top wall to facilitate downward movement of the cover portion 2 thereover. The lower edge 46 of the detent is substantially parallel to the bottom wall 25 of the carton to prevent accidental opening of the cover after the detents have been interlocked with the detent-receiving openings. The coverand tray portions are of comparable size so that when the cover portion isbrought into closing relation with the tray portion the detents will snap into the detent-receiving openings with which they are aligned, to hold the tray and cover in closed position. When thecover is moved from its closed position either the detents 4| and 43 will be mutilated or the detent-receiving openings l9 and 22 will be torn, so that visible evidence of such opening is present.

The tray portion 3 is provided with a front wall 46 hinged to the bottom 25 along a fold line 41. Diagonal fold lines 48 and 49 extending across opposite corners of front wall 46 form edge triangular portions 48a and 49a, respectively, which permit the front wall to be folded flat against bottom wall 25 even when its corners are adhered to the flaps 39 and 42. The adhesive adhering the extensions 39 and 42 to the ends of front wall 46 is applied only to the edge triangular portions 48a and 49a to facilitate folding of the front and side walls to collapse the tray portion. When the tray portion is collapsed the main portion of the front wall 46 is fiat against the bottom wall 25 and the edge triangular portions 48a and 49a are disposed between the front wall 48 and the side walls 29 and 30, respectively.

While the present description sets forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, certain changes may be made in the construction without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claim rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

I claim:

A collapsible carton comprising a tray portion having a bottom, a front and rear wall hinged to the front and rear of the bottom, side walls hinged to the sides of the bottom, a gusset portion integral with and hinged to the rear edge of each of the side walls and to the sides of the rear wall, said gusset portions being creased so as to lie against the inner side of the rear wall when the rear wall is raised to a position normal to that of the bottom, the front wall being diagonally creased at its side portions to provide edge triangular portions and a central portion, the latter being adapted to fold down against the bottom and the triangular portions foldable between the central portion and the tray side walls, corner flaps on the front edge of the side walls secured to the respective triangular portions of the front wall, at least one of the corner flaps of the side wall having a detent extending outwardly beyond the plane of the side wall, said detent having a lower edge approximately parallel to the bottom of the tray, a top cover portion hinged to the upper edge of the rear wall, and having a front wall hinged to the front edge Jf the top and having side walls hinged to the sides of the top, each of the side walls having a diagonal crease therein extending downwardly and rearwardly from the upper front corner of the cover portion to provide a rear portion foldable upon the top and a front triangular portion foldable between the rear portion and the cover front wall, a corner flap on each side of the cover front wall secured to the respective triangular portion of the side walls, the said corner flaps being formed with a narrow vertically extending, detent-receiving opening, the cover and tray portions being of comparable size so that the corners of the cover portion will fit snugly on the outside of the corners of the tray portion, whereby, when the cover portion is brought into closing relation with the tray portion, the extending detent at the front corner of the tray portion will snap into the opening of the cover portion and retain the tray and cover in closed position.

PETER C. COLLURA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record n flleof this patent: 1 the UNITED STATES PATENTS 

